Post by chasebishop88 on Jul 13, 2019 9:42:09 GMT -6

Ok so my car this morning showed a check charge system cide and I was was wonduring if I needed to have the battery tested or if i need a new alternator keep in mind my serpentine belt is pretty thin (need to get it replaced) just need to know what I should do first

Post by AUROD X on Jul 13, 2019 10:12:31 GMT -6

Well, you should replace the belt 1st, it could be that the belt is slipping on the alternator pulley.Then go get the battery checked, before all that double check all connections from battery and Alternator. See that Alternator is not "loose". Had a friend last week with a charging issue and check engine light on and 1st thing I saw was the Alternator was being hold down by one bolt, therefore Alternator was shaking bad. I tighten it up and problem solved.

Post by Toronado3800 on Jul 14, 2019 9:45:19 GMT -6

Ok so my car this morning showed a check charge system cide and I was was wonduring if I needed to have the battery tested or if i need a new alternator keep in mind my serpentine belt is pretty thin (need to get it replaced) just need to know what I should do first

There are several ways of tackling this.

Sounds like yoir alternator belt is an accident waiting to happen. May as well change it.

If your battery is old it doesn't hurt to have it charged and tested. Make sure its terminals are clean and tight.

I'm thinking between our alternators not being easy to get to and your thin belt giving a very possible false "alternator problem" result on a test that I'd do the belt and battery test first myself. And do it before you end up stranded.

Post by RCA1186 on Jul 17, 2019 6:14:14 GMT -6

Here is the alternator write-up. I can confirm you DO NOT need to remove the radiator to do the job. However it is up to you whether the extra work doing so is worth it for the extra space. Without it in the alternator removal would be far easier, but then you're dealing with changing the coolant, disconnecting trans cooler lines, etc. All easy stuff to do, just extra stuff that isn't necessarily needed when you CAN get it out without doing it.

If I (you) needed a coolant change, I would definitely take the radiator out to do the job. Otherwise I'd let it be. It just takes some work getting it in the right position to be able to squeeze it out by the airbox.

Post by chasebishop88 on Jul 18, 2019 1:39:45 GMT -6

Post by chasebishop88 on Jul 26, 2019 13:52:12 GMT -6

Hey guys I changed my altenator and the check charge system is gone but in staying at 12 volts and it will go down when using blinkers and then come right back to twelve is that a good number I think that's low right ? Maybe a new battery ?

Post by chasebishop88 on Jul 28, 2019 12:38:29 GMT -6

Ok so I got a new battery and charged it up and its reading 13.2 with the car off and 12.9 with the car on no radio or anything and this is with a new not remanufactured altenator could there be a short somewhere or something like that (really dont wanna do the altenator job again 😵)

Post by Toronado3800 on Jul 28, 2019 20:49:58 GMT -6

Ok so I got a new battery and charged it up and its reading 13.2 with the car off and 12.9 with the car on no radio or anything and this is with a new not remanufactured altenator could there be a short somewhere or something like that (really dont wanna do the altenator job again 😵)

Guys, don't we have a resister or sorts on the positive cable near the battery to keep it from over charging? Is there an easy way to bypass that to "check it"?

Also, can a parts store check that alternator output? I agree I'd hate to take it out to habe it tested.

Post by tigger on Jul 28, 2019 23:54:08 GMT -6

Guys, don't we have a resister or sorts on the positive cable near the battery to keep it from over charging? Is there an easy way to bypass that to "check it"?

Good point. There is a thermistor (temperature dependent resistor) at the positive battery terminal on the first gens. I think as temp goes up, resistance goes up, and the PCM decreases the duty cycle of the alternator to prevent overcharging. So, theoretically, if the termistor has damage or failure and is reading very high to infinite resistance, the PCM may not be commanding the alternator on at all.

I assume you could wire in a static resistor if someone were willing to Ohm theirs for reference (at X degrees F).

Could be bad alt out of the box(unlikely, but possible), trigger wire, or even PCM issue... PITA, sorry bud.

Post by chasebishop88 on Jul 29, 2019 20:51:25 GMT -6

Ok so I dont really have a course of action I dont really know what any of this stuff looks like I took a picture and I think that white connector is the thermostat but I dont know What would you guys start by doing My family said I could drive it around at 12.8 and it would be fine as long as its over twelve but I dont feel like that's right so what should I do

Post by chasebishop88 on Aug 5, 2019 1:59:32 GMT -6

So funny story guys (keep in mind I am 17 and self taught most of my mechanic skills) well let's just say lesson learned always go back through and triple check your work my mistake of not plugging the connector into the altenator caused me huge pain in the butt but now it's all working great now

Post by Toronado3800 on Aug 5, 2019 7:57:35 GMT -6

So funny story guys (keep in mind I am 17 and self taught most of my mechanic skills) well let's just say lesson learned always go back through and triple check your work my mistake of not plugging the connector into the altenator caused me huge pain in the butt but now it's all working great now